We're not trying to cast aspersion on what the old ZA did wrong, nor belittle them for it, nor emulate the mistakes they made. Rather, we're inspired by what they did right. They accidentally hit upon a winning niche, simply by being new and therefore more prone to experimentation.
They managed to create a massive amount of reactive roleplay and logging just as a result of gameplay. They accidentally hit upon a formula which sparked so many encounters as a result. Sadly, toxicity got inbibed into that through community-faction interactions.
They are still a monument in Discovery's history. What actually went down in Omicron 74, irrespective as to whatever rules were broken, made for an amazing RP story. But the crux of what they did is this:
What if some Zoners shot back after being shot? They tried it, and wonderful things happened. If anything it's not intended as a ripoff but a honorific remix. We've heavily reworked their lore whilst trying to integrate the events of the occasion.
What we're going to do boils down to this. We're going to sit in NFZs and provide escorting services to Zoners and other forces. If firing starts, we'll shoot back. We'll then see what happens.